Honeycomb out of business? | A slightly different take on recent happenings | Real Airline Pilot

[@Max10294]

You’re so consistent in your uploads! I rarely comment on videos but I love how informative and great your videos are

[@A330Driver]

Thank you so much!!

[@pat.h.7109]

The Honeycomb Bravo Throttle is my favourite piece of hardware, too. The quality is awesome and the opportunity to costomize it with third party throttle levers and other stuff is perfect. Everyone who doesn’t purchased one already should think about to get one.

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

The thrust reverser detents on my bravo are alomost completely worn.

[@dogtaggamer1]

Etsy is your go to for anything for the Bravo

[@roberthadfield2839]

I just wish I had the finances and business skills to invest in Honeycomb. Like you I believe their products are excellent and deserve the opportunity to continue.

[@A330Driver]

Same, I would probably go for it as well if I had the money.

[@MathijsKok]

And that is why I believe Nicki will be able to solve things. All the big investments are done, it's just a (serious) cashflow problem.

[@tfkslinuxgaming]

I think your advise is spot on. I got the A and B from Aerosoft and am very happy with the devices. I also got the throttle/flap packs so I can reconfigure between Boeing/Airbus and SE/ME GA. That makes it a very versatile system for a very affordable price. Its hard to see what goes on behind the scenes. Apart from the statement which was made. For the community I hope they can continue. If they do, then I hope they learned some lessons. Especially on the subject of customer support.

[@Brick-productions]

Interesting to read and see, it explains a little bit for me as I've been trying to get a replacement for my bravo throttle as it's had issues with the #3 axis, I guess it looks like I may not get that replacement which is frustrating, don't really want to buy it again as it is a big purchase but not entirely sure what to do.

[@Fcreceptor]

I have a Honeycomb Bravo and find it to be one of the best made products I’ve ever seen. It’s solid and very durable. But it’s so damn big I haven’t been able to attach it to my desk and it’s been back in the box for months. At some point I hope to get a different desk that allows me to utilize it. For now it’s the TCA Boeing and Airbus yoke/stick/throttle setups. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@tra757200]

If I didn't have a Brovo, I would run, not walk, run to your nearest retailer and pick on up. I only fly Boeing so I have the Boeing yoke thing along with the TPR hanging rudders, which are far and away the best peddles around. The precision of this equipment is crucial for flying the big iron.....inverted while on departure.

[@jrod_pilot_miami]

Personally, I think it takes courage to admit when you’ve made mistakes. In our current world where it’s fashionable to blame someone else, I appreciate their candor and willingness to take responsibility for their actions. I have both the alpha and bravo controls and love them! If they produce the charlie pedals, I’m definitely going to purchase them.

[@gregoryl.4872]

E, I agree completely. I already ordered a 2nd Bravo as a backup, just in case of bankruptcy. This is the best throttle I've ever used. I had high hopes for Honeycomb. I do hope they can get things right for all, including themselves.

[@aeroworld0_0]

I got my Bravo back in September and Alpha in December(and yeah I fly airliners using it) both are just great pieces of hardware, but I still hope they’ll manage all of this

[@BOBANDERSON5150]

Hoping they get this all sorted out. If not, what about software updates, and development after?

[@liortaylor5305]

I am a very big fan of Honeycomb and in particular the Bravo which i own. It completely revolutionized my simming experience. I was shocked at the news and really hope they are able to rebound and continue developing their amazing product

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

After reading the messages from the Honeycomb CEO all I could think was: "This guy needs to shut up and let his lawyers talk." Not that I'm a particular fan of people who hide behind legal experts, but he has a company to protect. This should take precedence over everything. Communicating what really happened can be done AFTER everything is resolved, not before.

[@popo864]

I bought honeycomb devices couple of years ago, and took about 4 months stuff to be ready at production site for shipping, so I think the delay is quite normal.

[@drewer757]

The only bummer with the Bravo is the throttle arcs aren't representative of airliners (like 0-90deg vs ~30-120deg-ish). But they are beautiful for flying GA twins like I do frequently, and as close to my rw training from back in the day. :)

[@dogtaggamer1]

I’ve had no problem with then flying commercial liners. I got the Airbus throttle kit for Honeycomb and a 737 throttle set off of Etsy and they have been absolutely fantastic

[@ElitistMagi]

I'm so glad I picked up my Alpha and Bravo when I did, got good amount of accessories too. I'm also having MadCatz flashbacks....

[@jay-rus4437]

This process of the sim community paying for undeveloped, unfinished, and unavailable products really needs to stop. Its getting out of hand at this point. It has almost become common place for new products, both software and hardware.

[@jrod_pilot_miami]

This happens in every industry, all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. If the product is good enough and company reputable enough, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve had no problems with the quality of this product.

[@jay-rus4437]

@@jrod_pilot_miami ...did you watch the video? There are a LOT of people that have paid for a product that was not completed in production and will now not be shipped. I understand in this instance the product design was completed, and others have gotten the product, but that doesnt do any good for the ones that paid and now had their money misappropriated.

[@11202]

@@jrod_pilot_miamididn’t they go to the most recent CES? And suddenly start selling the hub before ever producing the vaporware products that were to go with it? And never make the firmware update that made the product function as they advertised it. And never delivered the entirety of the preorders of these half baked products? While being literally uncontactable for customer support? Yea this stuff just happens. And we call it a scam. Either through vaporware and over promising on things they’re not capable of, or through willing malice. It’s the same end result.

[@jrod_pilot_miami]

@@jay-rus4437 yes I watched the video and read the Facebook statement. I’m not saying they’re blameless and they have a long road to making right by their customers. But these things happen in every type of industry, for less known or useful products.

[@knuble]

As long as simmers support these business models they will be around.

[@HammieNL]

Got the bravo since 3 weeks and i LOVE them.. sooo good. I hope they keep producing these fine products ❤

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

The stock boeing thrust reverser detents are not positive stop. Positive stop means one has to lift revpaddles to go rev. My bravo tr stops are smooth and almost worn. I am always inadvertently going in rev when going to idle.

[@countryflyboy8255]

I got to meet the ceo of honeycomb at the FS expo last summer in Houston. Very nice guy, spent a lot of time with the guests at the expo, did a great presentation and he was passionate about the hobby, the customers and his products. He's an older gentleman and I wouldn't be surprised if he got screwed over by some suppliers. Just my opinion. The real world supply chain of everything has not been the same since covid unfortunately. If people like honeycomb I think they should take your advice and buy from a 3rd party to at least help the brand in their troubling times.

[@johnyrebbaron2618]

Agreed! I do not own their products, but after I build myself a new computer. I was planning on buying them. I they save the company and I hope they do I will still buy them. If I get my new computer built and can still find them available, I will buy them. After watching videos about them and another couple of companies, I have no doubt they are the best in their price point.

[@redsaints]

Real shame, I waited for the upgraded Alpha XPC flight control with the spring loaded start switch and hall effect sensors, love the feel of it. Paired with the Bravo quadrant and using spadnext software it works great with the 737.

[@parvildrobu]

I use the same combo, got them recently in november-december, and yes, with spad.next they really shine in terms of amount of configuration you can do with them :)

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

my initial response was "I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for you tho. Or sorry for your loss."

[@viktorekman863]

my initial response was "I ain't reading all that. I'm happy for you tho. But for god sake PMDG give us an update on the 777!!!

[@hawker800mech]

What’s the chance another, larger company comes in and buys them out/takes over?

[@ravenn22]

this would make sense - as they're well-proven as good designs that are really popular...

[@HolyOrangeJuice]

I still have my Alpha and Bravo. Got in on the earliest pre-orders. Love the products. I saw the post on FB. Guess good luck going forward.

[@blancfilms]

10:00 Yeah my girlfriend also prefers touching my hardware instead of my software

[@gwalker3092]

I had both bravo and alpha but got rid of the alpha. I use the bravo everyday and it’s really good especially with the autopilot contrails added. It’s a shame what’s going on but this is pretty messy. Hope it get sorted out but who knows.

[@andrenertz1685]

That casual outside view butter .... Great lol

[@confuseddad2865]

They took money when they knew they were dying, horrible. Also the hardware now has no more support, people have mentioned that wires in their hardware have become ever worse so they are out in the cold.

[@sadbucket]

From my professional interactions with the owner, he has nothing but the best intentions and I have no doubt he will sort everything out

[@A330Driver]

I am pretty sure about that! Some people called it unprofessional that he shared the story with others, but the way he writes and the way he talks I did also get the impression that he's a good guy with good intentions. As they say, the best engineers are typically not the best businessmen so I can understand why things might not have gone so well for the company itself, but the products he designed are superb.

[@redsaints]

One point i would like to make to any prospective buyers, have a read and see if Honeycomb are honoring warranty claims. I have seen posts and videos stating people have had issues with this, so buyer beware. If you buy new, makes sure the seller will refund if it breaks, because i doubt Honeycomb will.

[@A330Driver]

That's why I recommended buying from a retailer like Aerosoft, who in that case also is legally viable if anything is broken or wrong.

[@peterlazuric5641]

I just want to say how saddened and shocked I was to hear about Honeycombs situation. On the other hand, I would not buy any of their products until they completely got their act under control. My reasoning is what if you have problems with the products you buy from them and Honeycombs folds, where do you go? Being a business major and sales rep for many years customer support is everything in selling products and services.

[@darewell7776]

A lot of Etsy creators won’t be happy about this situation

[@Jonas-xz7ee]

There is also no real alternative or similar product to the Honeycomb Bravo, considering the price point.

[@A330Driver]

Yep, the Bravo really shines in its place.

[@jhallock]

Anyone else searching the internet for stock on the Bravo TQ? Would love to replace my Turtle Beach with it if I can find one

[@stopspewinshit7878]

Love my Alpha and Bravo... passing on the Charlie...... although after two and a half years, the POTS are going bad

[@CornyFresser]

sad to hear Honeycomb is in trouble. I enjoy my Bravo very much due to quality and immersion it gives me. As I was playing with the idea to get the Alpha anyway Ive ordered the Alpha now with a discount. I hope Honeycomb will get out of this misery and stay with the FlightSim industry for a while. Easy for me to show some understanding for their situation as my money is not on the line due to failed pre orders.

[@squamye5347]

Prices are about to sky rocket

[@squamye5347]

Everything sold out on Amazon already

[@firetrain3]

I was on the verge of buying a yoke and throttle from this company. After hearing the way this guy ran his company, I will never buy anything from him. Nicki obviously knows nothing about business and went so far as to ignore his business when he left it entirely in the hands of a "friend". Anyone who is that stupid, doesn't deserve to be in business and I'm happy that I saved myself the big hassle of trying to get my money back. Anyone who does business with Nicki in the future, is a fool who will soon be parted from his/her money. The best thing that can happen at this point is for the company to fold. I doubt there are enough people to buy from this company to keep it afloat.

[@confuseddad2865]

Yep, you take money and you know you can't deliver, horrid.

[@jhallock]

Does anyone know of any North American online retailers that have stock on the Bravo? $60 euro just for shipping to Vancouver Canada with Aerosoft😒

[@310flyer5]

Well said! I ❤ my alpha and bravo!

[@moleisrich1]

I have a alpha for sale. Love my bravo

[@DownTheRabbit-Hole]

The original alpha is low res and potentiometers. Buy the newer xbox version. It uses hall effect sensors.

[@jay-rus4437]

Personally, I thought his posts were unprofessional. Meaning he should not have used such a public platform to vent his frustration. If in fact he desires to move forward with the company, he will regret these public statements. I can appreciate the basis for his frustration, but its important that in times like this to remain professional

[@mike605]

His partner needs to go to jail for what he has done. and yes i have read all the emails from honeycomb.

[@RedEye737]

Dear Captain Emi. You may remember my comments(used to be "the art of chill"). I just posted a video I've been working on for 3 months and I gave you a shoutout. love your videos and they taught me pretty much everything I know. 737 one love. All the best, Captain. U are an inspiration, I could've not made it without you and your profound knowledge. hope you see this💕

[@CicaeMeow]

Interesting... for me the Alpha is more expensive in the Aerosoft shop eh...

[@A330Driver]

mmh, maybe depending on your location? I'm in Germany, but I see the discount on the English shop as well.

[@CicaeMeow]

@@A330Driver yeah, I think it's the VAT. Hungary has 27%... hate this country :D

[@kuhqu]

Interesting enough for me it's even cheaper than in the Video for some reason

[@CicaeMeow]

@@kuhqu where are you from?

[@kuhqu]

@@CicaeMeow Germany also

[@charlesmccullough7149]

The company should be sued out of existence. I liked my Bravo unit so much I bought a second unit. One for GA and one for commercial. The second unit had an issue and was clearly under warranty. I promptly provided all the documentation and then was told they had a shipping carrier problem. Months would pass I would follow up and create a ticket and they would just close it. I’m still waiting. This is not the way you treat customers no matter how could the hardware is. This company could never be trusted again. There are many stories out there like mine.

[@A330Driver]

Read the facebook post for the reason behind the shipping problem. He explained it in there.

[@charlesmccullough7149]

I really appreciate the reply, but I’m having problems understanding why the content creators are trying to run cover for this guy. He’s a thief, I’ve been trying to get warranty service for over a year now. Maybe if he took your money you would understand.

[@A330Driver]

@@charlesmccullough7149 Because we can see the bigger picture and not just approach it with emotions. In most cases eventually it turned out that great engineers are not great businessman and vice versa. The thief - technically speaking - is the person who holds the majory of Honeycomb and that's his former business partner.

[@charlesmccullough7149]

We’ll see if PayPal and the other credit card companies see the bigger picture. On to more important matters, why haven’t we seen more XPlane content. Your videos are the best of the best keep up the good work.

[@confuseddad2865]

You won't see your money back, it has already been used. This is why buying hardware now would be silly, how will you get support? I have heard of a lot of issues with both pieces and wires getting damaged from being installed in a way that was silly to begin with.

[@sbisdcompguru]

I don't think for one minuite that he is a victim here. The victims are those of us who are out hundreds of dollars, with little to no recourse. At the VERY least, he strung people along for months knowing himself what was going on behind the scenes. Every time they needed more pre-orders, or needed to sell a new product, there was an email with a sob story about production issues. Up until yesterday, the shop was still online, even though support emails have been bouncing back for weeks. He is an accessory to the fraud that has been committed, not a victim of it.

[@zk9058]

You are absolutely right. But i find that inventors usually aren’t the best businessman. His products were innovative, high quality and reasonably priced. It’s a shame his marriage to his partner was not a match for honeycomb (or us). I’m hopeful he can sort things out, but knowing how poorly he managed this situation from the beginning, I’m doubtful that will happen.

[@sbisdcompguru]

@@zk9058 I won't disagree with that. But again, for MONTHS he has personally sent emails to string all of us along. I will not believe that this happened over night. And the timings of several of those emails, I believe, purposefully coincided with conventions where they needed to sell product and they needed good PR. So like I said, maybe this matter is not 100% his fault, but he is completely an accessory. Even his Facebook post last Friday said that we should cancel our pre-orders and order from an approved 3rd party. For me, I have tried to cancel and a refund and that has been ignored. But in that email he is apologizing on one hand, and then trying to sell the same product with the other.

[@738Ash]

First, you’ve got to be my favourite flight sim KZbinr ❤

[@jujulpirate_8293]

same for me !!!

[@A330Driver]

Wow, thanks!

[@ZiggyAir]

I am not sure if it would be a good idea to buy any honeycomb products. It looks pretty grim for the company. What about support? Firmware updates? The Turtle Beach is a good and cheaper choice at this point.

[@A330Driver]

Firmware updates have never been an issue with flight simulation hardware. Support is done by the shop selling the product (legally), that's why I recommended to buy from a third party retailer like Aerosoft, who would be reliable as your contact.

[@ZiggyAir]

@@A330Driver I don't necessarily disagree with your recommendation. I would suggest that if people are going to consider it now, with all the issues that are happening, that they get a good, discounted price. I do disagree about the firmware. I get firmware updates on my Turtle Beach every 6-9 months. They have provided additional features and corrected other issues. I would still be cautious about the support. A reputable re-seller should be able to provide that.

[@rasmusa380]

Its sad what happened, but I do appreciate the honesty. Would love to get the bravo but what keeps me away from it is the lack of engine mode selector and fuel levers/engine master switches

[@carolebaskin138]

I mean they have been announcing all of these products but never releasing any of them. Spreading their resources to thin.

[@A330Driver]

The Alpha and Bravo are released, so are many extras for them.

[@carolebaskin138]

@A330Driver I guess to be more specific I think they should have focused on getting the rudder pedals out before announcing the additional pro flight displays which cost time and money to develop.

[@82kgamer]

10:00 that’s what she said 😂

[@A330Driver]

😂😂😂

[@attilassimcorner5277]

Fanboys pre-order, scammer company runs with the money, total normal in today business.

[@bournejsn]

Great, now everyone is going to panic buy because of this video and stock is going to vanish overnight